


An Ordinary Sunday

by mizface



Category: due South
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Multi, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-14
Updated: 2019-12-14
Packaged: 2021-02-25 06:08:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21791341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mizface/pseuds/mizface
Summary: Pretty much what the title implies - an ordinary day in the lives of Fraser and his Rays.
Relationships: Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski/Ray Vecchio
Comments: 9
Kudos: 16
Collections: due South Seekrit Santa 2019





	An Ordinary Sunday

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DesireeArmfeldt](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DesireeArmfeldt/gifts).



> Many thanks to the mods for keeping this fabulous exchange going! And a thousand and one thanks to Hazelwho, bestest braintwin and wonderful beta.
> 
> Des, the initial inspiration for this came from your name. Well, the fact that it's Sondheim inspired me, at least :)

“Mmmmph, wh’re you goin’?” Ray asked, muffled by his face being smashed into a pillow and slurred from sleep.

Fraser ran a hand along Ray’s arm, slipping away from the fumbling attempt at catching his hand as Ray turned over. “Go back to sleep, Ray,” he whispered, leaning in to kiss his stubbled cheek. He indulged himself a quick nuzzle into the soft, dark blond bedhead before making himself sit up. Fraser thought that maybe Ray pressed back, but if so it was in his sleep.

There was a shuffling of bedclothes on Ray’s other side. “You got that thing at the Consulate today, right?” Ray asked wiping a hand over his face tiredly. 

“I do. I’m sorry if I woke you.” Fraser got up slowly, trying not to disturb Ray’s sleep any further. He moved to the other side of the bed, crouching down to be eye level with Ray. Lip level too; they exchanged a leisurely kiss.

“You know me, Benny – I wasn’t going to be asleep much longer anyhow.” He winked. “I only stay in bed if there’s a good reason.”

“True. I’m sorry I can’t give you one today, though Ray might.”

“Assuming he gets up before we have to leave this afternoon.” He glanced back, a fondness on his face Fraser was sure he'd deny if questioned. “Nah. Better to let him rest unless I want to spend the day arguing with him.”

Fraser nodded. Ray wasn't the best of sleepers; it wasn't unusual for him to be up later than the two of them, or up and down throughout the night. On those mornings he could sleep in, letting him do so was for the best. 

“We’re still meeting at your mother’s later?” he asked, straightening up and moving to the dresser to collect his underclothes.

Ray’s answer was interrupted by a yawn. “Yeah,” he said after a small stretch. “We’re on babysitting duty starting around four.” 

“I’ll be there by five, barring anything unusual happening.” At Ray’s pointed look, he revised his statement. “Anything unusual that would require my immediate attention. The Inspector was very sorry about having me come in on my day off. I’m sure he’ll let most things keep until tomorrow.”

Ray seemed to accept that. “You want me to fix you something before you go?”

Fraser shook his head. “No need to go to any trouble.”

“It’s no trouble,” Ray replied, rolling his eyes. “I need to get up anyway before I disturb Sleeping Beauty. So you want something?”

“Honestly, Ray, I’m fine. There will be food at the Consulate – Inspector Blair wanted to go over a few last minute details before the reception and is having breakfast brought in. All I’m planning on having here is some tea.”

“Okay then. Maybe Kowalski and I will go out for breakfast.”

“I’m sure Ray would like that.”

“I’m sure _both_ Rays would like that, since it means I don’t have to cook. You heading to the shower?”

“Yes. Given that I’m not eating here, I don’t even have to rush,” Fraser offered. 

Ray raised an eyebrow at that, then carefully sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. “Well, I may not have anywhere to be right away, but it still might not be a bad idea to conserve hot water. You know, for the environment.”

Fraser offered a hand to help Ray stand, pulling him in for a kiss. “I’m a firm believer in conservation.”

*************************** 

Ray recognized the tread on the stairs before he spoke. He’d wondered how long it would be before Vecchio got bored with the record store. 

“Are you done yet?” There was only mild annoyance in the tone, so Ray figured he still had a few minutes. “Yeah, I guess I can be,” he replied with a shrug as he continued to flip through the record stack.

“What are you even doing down here?”

He held up the _Sid and Nancy_ soundtrack, waving it for a second, then put it down to pull another album out of the stack. “Hey, you know that painting Ben loves so much at the Art Institute?” he asked, shooting a glance at Vecchio.

Vecchio rolled his eyes. “You maybe want to be a little more specific? Benny likes _all_ the paintings there.”

“The really big one that's like, all dots up close.”

Recognition dawned on Vecchio's face. “Yeah, the one with the crazy long title, and the dame with the monkey on a leash. What about it?”

Ray held up the album he'd found. “Looks like there's a musical about it or something. Think Fraser knows about it?”

“I never bet against Fraser knowing about something. Why, you thinking of getting that for him?”

“Yeah, actually.”

“You know that means we'll have to listen to it, right? Are you prepared for that?”

“I listen to soundtracks,” Ray protested. “That's why I'm here today.”

Vecchio went over to Ray's stack. “Let's see. In addition to _Sid and Nancy_ we have _Hard Core Logo_ , _Rock N Roll High School_... Yeah, a Broadway show should fit right in.”

“I listen to other kinds of music. You know that. Rose's just has the more obscure stuff.” He waved the record. “You think your Ma’ll let me stash this somewhere for a bit?”

That got him a raised eyebrow. “You’re serious about getting it?”

“Yeah. Thought it might make a good Christmas present.”

“Christmas isn’t for three months! Besides, you didn’t even want to see that painting in person.”

“Didn’t see the point,” Ray replied, smirking.

Vecchio groaned. “That wasn’t funny the first time, Stanley.”

Vecchio had no sense of humor; it was funny _every_ time. “Whatever. I thought you’d be all over a change of music. You complain enough about what I like.”

“That’s because most of what you like doesn’t qualify _as_ music.”

Ray stopped himself from making a joke about Vecchio’s preference for easy listening and crooners. Even though it was true, sometimes that kind of remark made Vegas rear its ugly head, so he magnanimously ignored the insult entirely. “Are you ready to go or not?” he asked, grabbing the stack of albums and heading toward the stairs.

Vecchio didn’t answer, but Ray heard him grumbling to himself as he climbed the stairs about who had kept who waiting. He made a beeline toward the check-out counter; he hadn’t taken as long down there as Vecchio said, but he knew if they didn’t hustle they’d be late to watch Frannie’s kids. And one bitchy Vecchio was enough for him in a day, thank you very fucking kindly.

Luckily the line was short and the guy behind the counter was quick, if entirely apathetic. They were in the Riv in no time, Vecchio’s mood obviously lifting as he drove. Ray mentally patted himself on the back for getting it fixed up (once Fraser had done the research and actually found it). It hadn’t been the cheapest gift, or the easiest repair job, but the look on Vecchio’s face then, and the obvious joy he got from driving it now, made it worth every penny and drop of sweat.

*************************** 

Even arriving five minutes early, Frannie was on them the minute they walked into Ma’s house. She looked past them, face scrunching up into a frown. “What, just the two of you?”

Ray held back his eyeroll but couldn’t help a little defensiveness in his voice. “Benny will be here later. Consulate thing, remember?”

“Yeah, I guess. But you’re sure you two can handle three kids?” She leaned in, poking Ray in the chest. “You’re outnumbered.”

“Don’t let Ma hear you leaving her out of that count,” Ray advised, swatting her hand away. “And yes, Frannie, the two grown detectives are capable of watching three little kids for a couple of hours.”

“And before you ask,” Kowalski added, “yes he’s bringing the furball. For whatever reason, Dief wanted to go with him today.”

“You and I both know the reason, Kowalski,” Ray huffed. “It’s a reception, so there’s free food. Plus new people to try and mooch from.” He turned back to Frannie, knowing he should let it go but unable to keep himself from telling her, “We’d be fine even if Ma wasn’t here, or Fraser wasn’t coming. You don’t remember me babysitting you when you were a kid?”

Frannie started to say something, but a loud bang from farther inside had her turning around. Probably for the best, if they didn’t want to get into a real argument before she left. How she could still get on his nerves so fast, Ray would never know.

“Well get in here if you’re helping,” she told them, moving aside and waving them in. “I’ll make sure they haven’t murdered each other, and then I’m out of here. Movie starts in,” she checked her watch, “half an hour, and then we might get a drink or something after.”

“Take your time, Frannie,” Kowalski said as they followed her. No crying, so probably nobody was hurt. Ray only hoped the same could be said for Ma’s things. “Seriously, we have this covered.”

Ray elbowed him, pulling him aside and leaning in to whisper, “What are you doing?”

“Being a good fake brother,” Kowalski replied. “Did you not see how strung out she looked? That is someone in need of a girls’ night out.”

She had looked stressed, but Ray figured that was par for the course when you had three kids under the age of five. “Okay, maybe she does,” he acknowledged. “Still, you think you’re being a good guy, but what you’re really doing is jinxing us. Maybe keep your mouth shut. Last thing we need is for something to happen. She’d never let it go.”

“You getting all superstitious on me, Vecchio? Do I need to knock wood, maybe get a rabbit’s foot or three?”

“Funny. Just, let’s get in there before they do damage we’d have to arrest them for if they were older.”

“How can you say that about your own family?”

Ray gave him a withering look. “I can love those kids to pieces and still acknowledge that they’re holy terrors.”

“Ray! Ray!” Frannie called, impatience lacing her tone. “You change your minds already?”

Ray sighed, lightly pushing Kowalski forward. “On our way.”

*************************** 

“I don’t see how you can still be hungry,” Fraser admonished as they approached the door. “Don’t think I didn’t notice you swindling the guests out of their hors d’oeuvres.”

Dief whined, but Fraser wasn’t fooled by it. “You’ve walked much farther than this on much less. Maybe next time you’ll try and control yourself.”

Ray answered the door, stopping Fraser's hello with a kiss. Fraser happily leaned into it, one hand smoothing over the close-cropped hair on the back of Ray's head. They pulled apart too soon for Fraser's liking, but given they were practically in public, it was for the best. Ray leaned down to give Diefenbaker a quick scratch behind the ears, gesturing for them to stay quiet.

"Follow me, but try not to make any noise," he cautioned. Fraser closed the door as quietly as he could, following Ray to the edge of the entry to the family room. He peeked in, smiling at the sight before him - Francesca's children were huddled around the coffee table with Ray, quietly drawing. The twins were sitting on the floor, a pile of crayons between them on the table, and a scattering of papers behind them. Ray was on the couch, Angelica in his lap. He was hunched over her, helping to steady her hand as she worked on a coloring page. It was a sight made all the more wonderful by the sheer quiet in the room; Francesca's children tended toward the boisterous.

As if they’d heard his thought, Matt reached for the blue crayon at the same time as Vincent, which of course started a tussle over it. Before anything happened that could cause them injury, Dief let out a woof that stopped both boys cold. They turned simultaneously to look in the doorway and immediately sprang up to run toward them, or more specifically, toward Diefenbaker. Dief looked slightly concerned about their approach. 

“You knew the job was dangerous when you took it,” Fraser reminded him, stepping aside to give the boys room to hug Dief. Angelica followed closely behind quickly as her toddler legs could take her, the pure delight on her face matching her brothers. Her happy cries of “Dee! Dee!” made Fraser smile.

Ray ran a hand through his already tousled hair as he got up from the couch. “She’s tiny, but she can still put your legs to sleep,” he said, stretching his legs with a wince before making his way over to the group. He gave Fraser a quick peck before kneeling down to pet Dief.

“Hey, hey, watch it now,” Ray told Vincent. “Remember, Dief’s a lot older than he acts – you gotta be careful with him, okay?” He nodded, immediately gentling his touch to mimic Ray as he scratched Dief behind the ear. “That’s better,” he smiled, catching Angelica just as she overbalanced and nearly knocked into him. He shifted to sitting cross-legged on the floor, placing her in his lap. Dief immediately licked her face, which set her to giggling.

“I’m going to see if Ma needs any help in the kitchen,” Ray told them, ruffling first the fur on top of Dief’s head, then Ray’s hair, laughing at the affronted face Ray made at the gesture as he left the room.

“Take a load off, stay awhile,” Ray said, patting the floor beside him. Fraser put his Stetson safely aside before sitting down; immediately he had a lapful of 4-year old boys, trying to nudge each other out of the way. He separated the two easily, fitting one on each side of him, still well within reach to lavish attention on Dief, now lying down at an angle so everyone had an opportunity to pet him.

“So how was the shindig?” Ray asked. Dief pressed his head closer to the floor. “Oh, that bad, huh?” he laughed. “Cause any international incidents?”

“Fortunately not. But only because Inspector Blair is far too patient with him.” Dief whuffed. “Yes, too patient. You nearly pulled an entire tray of crab puffs onto the ambassador’s lap.” Dief whuffed again, but Fraser didn’t reply. They’d had this argument already. “Ignore him,” he told Ray. “And don’t indulge him tonight, please. He had more than his share earlier.”

Ray looked at Dief, who looked back mournfully, then back at Fraser. “This a punishment, or a health thing?”

“Both, honestly. Some of the things he ate were far too rich for him. I have the feeling he won’t be sleeping well tonight.”

“Okay, then, I won’t make it worse. Sorry, buddy,” he told Dief, “you made your bed, now you have to lie in it.”

“Thank you, Ray.”

“Hey, more of Ma’s food for me,” Ray grinned. Angelica leaned back in Ray’s lap, head bent at an almost unnatural angle as she tried to look up at him. “Foo?” she asked.

“Just about time, angel,” Ray told her, planting a kiss on the top of her head. She turned in his lap to wrap her arms around his neck. “Up! Foo!” she demanded.

“Okay, your highness,” he chuckled, getting up. “We’ll go see if it’s ready. You okay with watching the boys for a minute?”

VIncent was on the floor eye to eye with Dief, talking softly, while his brother had gone back to coloring. “We’re fine. Let me know when I need to get them washed up.”

*************************** 

Ray gave his mother a kiss as he moved past her to open the kitchen cabinet and start gathering plates.

“Nice to see you’ve kept your good habits,” she said with a hint of a tease to her voice.

“I set the table for how many years, Ma? Of course I’m going to now.”

“Well when you’re done, come give this a taste.”

Ray finished the table pretty quickly, coming back into the kitchen to try the marinara sauce. If he’d been making it he’d have added more oregano, maybe a little more garlic. “It’s good,” he told her honestly.

She got that unreadable look on her face that Ray hated. Even as an adult, he dreaded seeing it. “Good? So what would make it better?”

Ray hesitated, trying to decide which would be worse, telling her what he’d do or changing his answer. He went with honesty, and if it backfired he’d blame Fraser for that being his first response. “It’s fine, you know it is. I just like more oregano, that’s all.” She kept staring at him, expectant. “And maybe more garlic.” 

“Then add it, make it better. _Good_ ,” she huffed, wrinkling her nose. “ _Fine_. You want me to serve food that’s just fine? Good is good enough? When you know what would make it better.” She shook her head. “I thought I raised you better than that.”

“Jeez, Ma, I get it,” Ray answered as he took another taste, then went to mince more garlic. “I wasn’t trying to insult you.”

“I know you weren’t. Still, I’d rather you tell me. You’re a grown man now, you’re allowed to have opinions.”

“I’ll remember that next time you give me grief over liking something you don't,” he said, pulling her to him and kissing the top of her head. She leaned in, wrapping her arms around him briefly, before going to another pot on the stove.

“Alfredo too?” Ray asked as she lifted the lid and gave the sauce a stir.

“Of course,” his mother replied. “I know Ray likes to mix them together.”

He did, Ray thought, fighting a grimace. There was nothing wrong with a good pink sauce, but that wasn’t what Kowalski created when he made his chaotic mishmash of a dish. It was his favorite, Benny had told him after their first family dinner after all the dust had settled and the three of them had gotten their act together. Even so, Ray still suspected he did it partly to annoy him. But Ma making it was nice, a way to show she accepted them without saying a word. That Kowalski was part of the family. Maybe even her favorite Ray, he thought, rummaging through the silverware drawer to gather forks and knives. A smack to the back of his head derailed his train of thought.

“Ow! What was that for?”

“I know you, Raimundo Vecchio. And you need to stop thinking like that right now.”

“Like what?”

“Like maybe Ray’s more important to me than you are. It’s nonsense and you know it.” She put a hand to his cheek, making him meet her eyes. “You’re my good boy.”

Ray shrugged, not bothering to lie. “Am I though? I’ve done some pretty terrible things.”

“You did your job. And Raymond protected you, protected this family, while you did what you had to. I love him for taking care of us then, yes. And for how he takes care of you now. He is like a son to me. But that doesn’t mean he’s replaced you in my heart. He is like a son,” she repeated,” but you _are_ my son.”

*************************** 

“I don’t know how Frannie does it,” Vecchio said, sitting down on the bed to take off his shoes. “Those kids could be perfect angels 24/7 and I’d still be at the end of my rope by the time they were in bed each and every night.”

“I think you’d make a fine father, Ray,” Fraser said as he pulled a t-shirt out of the dresser. 

“Thanks, Benny, but I think I make a better uncle. It’s more fun when you know you can wind them up and give them back. Besides,” he went on, smirking, “Kowalski here’s all the kid we need.”

“You saying you want me to call you daddy?” Ray asked, swaying his hips as he moved into Vecchio’s space to add, voice husky, “Because I can do that.” The horrified look that got from both Vecchio and Fraser made him laugh. 

“I would strongly request that we not use any patriarchal terms in the bedroom, please,” Fraser told them both. “I promise they’ll have the opposite of their intended effect.”

“Okay then, that’s one kink to definitely cross off the list.” Ray said with a shrug, looking over his shoulder to answer Fraser. “Not really my thing either.” 

Vecchio caught Ray’s wrist before he could move away, tugging him down so they were face to face. “You needing a little more kink in your life, Stanley?”

Ray felt himself flush at the combination of Vecchio’s firm grip and low voice. “Thought you were worn out from babysitting.”

“There’s worn out and there’s worn out,” Vecchio replied, close enough that Ray could almost feel the brush of his lips against his own. 

He startled as Fraser grabbed his hips, the motion turning into a shiver as Fraser slid one hand under his shirt and slowly up and down his back. He started to straighten up, but Fraser pressed a little harder, keeping him bent over. 

Okay then, Ray thought as he leaned back in to take the kiss he’d been teased with, one hand on Vecchio’s neck, thumb caressing his jawline, this was shaping up to be all kinds of good. And definitely the best way to end a Sunday.

**Author's Note:**

> In case you were curious, these are the bits from _Sunday in the Park with George_ that vaguely inspired each scene. In order:
> 
> There are worse things than staring at the water on a Sunday  
> The trend’s at an end, you’re suddenly last year’s sensation  
> Settling for a spoiled dessert  
> Children and Art  
> A little less thinking a little more feeling (I'm just quoting Mama)  
> It’s good to be together again


End file.
